Companion

A tea-and-coffee counter on the Weserkiez strip that treats both drinks as equally serious business, built around a marble-and-terrazzo counter and warm, tea-stained wood. Weserkiez has become one of Neukölln's most talked-about micro-neighborhoods over the past several years, a few streets of independent cafés and shops that sprang up as rents rose elsewhere in the borough, and Companion is one of its more considered additions rather than a quick copy of what's nearby. Laptops are discouraged by house policy, which keeps the small room feeling more like a place to sit with someone than a satellite office — a deliberate choice in a city full of cafés that have become de facto co-working spaces.

Coffee, tea, botanicals, chocolate, and brewing kit are all sold to take home, and the retail side of the business runs at least as large as the café itself. Dogs are welcome on the outdoor seating, with summer afternoons reportedly full of them. Maybe the only entry in this guide where the tea list gets equal billing with the espresso.